Bangor Cultural Commission approves doubled grant budget, plans Arts Strategy RFP

The Commission on Cultural Development approved July minutes and celebrated a doubling of its grants budget for the upcoming fiscal year. Staff outlined the upcoming request for proposals for an arts and culture strategy consultant, and the Artober committee presented a new logo design for the annual arts festival.

Key points

• The commission approved the July meeting minutes without recorded dissent.
• Staff reported that the grants budget has been doubled, prompting a discussion on whether to increase individual grant limits for the fall cycle.
• The group agreed to form a Pickering Square subcommittee to develop a process for displaying art in the park's kiosks.
• The cultural assets committee will lead the arts and culture strategy process, with a plan to assemble an inventory of existing assets before the consultant begins work.
• The Artober committee presented a new Art Deco-inspired logo design, which the commission approved for further development into vertical banner formats.

Next steps

• The grants committee will meet within two weeks to determine if grant application limits should be increased.
• Staff will circulate the draft RFP for the arts and culture strategy consultant for commission review before posting.
• The cultural assets committee will hold a subcommittee meeting in early October to begin assembling the cultural asset inventory.
• The Artober committee will finalize the vertical banner design and submit it to the city for printing within the next two weeks.

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